PSALM FIFTEEN
ACCESS TO GOD
Access to God is greatly dependent upon our amity to man. Jesus
Christ made this very clear when He taught His disciples to pray,
"Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive them that trespass against
us."
This psalm is a song of a good man. It contains only one name for
God - Jehovah. The great, dreadful, incommunicable name of God. It is
the name given most often, in the Bible, to God. It is the name which
expresses self existence, indepenence, unchangeableness, and eternity.
It is the name never given to any but the True God, and is best and
most commonly translated, LORD.
The psalm begins with THE BIG QUESTION. Who will have access to
God?...to His tabernacle - on earth; to His Holy Hill, Zion - in
heaven. The tabernacle is the moveable place on earth and Zion the
everlasting place in heaven.
This then is the BIG ANSWER to the big question. Those who have
access to God on earth will be those who have access to Him in heaven.
We find the answer here and now on earth. So many hope to get to
heaven, there to find the answer. The answer must be found now. In
his song the psalmist gives the answer in six positives and five
negatives. Life is like that; composed of negative and positive. Many
people make the mistake of trying to make their lives one thing OR the
other. Life is one thing AND the other. In the end the gains will
outweigh the losses, for the sum of all things work together for good
to those who love the Lord.
In verse 2 there are three positive clauses which identify those who
have access to God:-
1. "He who walks without spot." Without spot is translated
"uprightly". The word, as the psalmist uses it, applies to lambs being
offered for sacrifice...without spot. The Apostle Paul writing to the
Colossians declared that Jesus Christ died "to present you holy,
unblameable and unreprovable in his sight!". This, Christ did by His
death on the cross. The greatest blemish we can have is selfishness.
When we walk in our own way, this element defies all sacrifice. We
must walk as living sacrifices, that is the way to access.
2. "He who works righteousness." This is an active sacrifice. No
child of God is a worker of iniquity. What you do away from church
services, that's what counts with God. Every action of ours needs to
uphold the righteous principles of a child of God.
3. "He who speaks truth in his heart." Take note, this is not
speaking truth FROM the heart. He who speaks the truth to himself.
One of the most difficult things in life is to be honest with oneself.
They who walk, work and talk as defined in these three clauses have
access to God.
Now the psalm turns to negative clauses:-
1. "He that backbiteth not with his tongue." Dogs bite with their
teeth - infidels bite with their tongues. Literally, the word used for
backbiting means to walk-go and is often rendered - to spy. When we go
walking about in other people's business with our tongues, that is
back-biting. There is no access to God for busy-bodies.
2. "Nor doeth evil with his neighbour." The word used here, for
evil, can mean wickedness, harm, hurt, ill, sorrow, mischief, wrong,
displeasure, affliction, trouble or calamity. A good person will not
of choice do anything to harm, wrong, or trouble anyone else. If we do
these things willingly, we have no access to God.
Date: 05 Oct 95 18:28:35 EDT
3. "Nor taketh up a reproach against his neighbour." He does not
cast slurs on his fellow men. Some people always have bad neighbours,
no matter where they live. Isn't that food for thought?
Once again the psalmist becomes positive in identifying those who
have access to God:-
1. "The man in whose eyes a vile person is contemned." He despises
a vile person. The Bible is full of stories about men like this, as in
the cases of Mordecai and Haman, Elisha and Ahab, Daniel and
Belshazzar. In our English history we have Bunyan and Charles 2nd.
The believer abhors the vile man's character. As Mordecai still went
about God's will, despising Haman's threat on his life; as Elijah
fulfilled the will of Jehovah, despite the threatening of Ahab; so
Daniel, when offered the highest honour in Belshazzar's kingdom,
refused it, knowing that in the will of God, it would end that night.
These have access to Jehovah, not because they despise men, but they
set the will of God above all things.
2. "He honours them that fear the Lord." The right translation of
the word honour should be 'Glorify', but in the English version of the
Bible the word Glorify is reserved for 'Giving honour to God.'
Therefore we use the word honour, but we should give the highest kind
of honour to those who fear God. The family of God ignores the
fictitious distinctions set up by human society.
3. "He swears to his own hurt." Having made a promise, he will
never go back on it. The person who has access to God keeps his word,
whatever it costs, even his own hurt.
Finally the psalmist uses two more negative clauses to describe the
person who has access to God.
1. "He putteth not his money to usury." Usury is where the interest
is greater than the law allows. Interest is ruining the world's
economy. Usury is a sin against the Divine Precepts and can bring ruin
and slavery. It is a violation of love, humanity and caring. The
person with access to God is against usury.
2. "Nor does he take reward against the innocent." He does not
accept a bribe against the innocent. Our dealing with money is quite
an important factor in our assessment of God.
Because God is God, He decides who has access to Him. If we are not
prepared to do His will on earth, then we will not fit in His presence.
Our walk, work, talk, determine character, and in the sight of God
religion without character is a monstrosity. Without justice, charity
is a fraud. Truth must be found IN the heart, and facing truth is
traumatic.
Copyright (c) 1995, Hedley Palmer. All rights reserved.
----------------------------------------------------
file: /pub/resources/text/hpalmer/psalms: ps-015.txt
.